Raphael Davis, a rapper from Birmingham better known as ‘S.Lokez’, has maintained that he poses no danger to the public despite spending 18 years in prison for offences committed in his youth. Davis, from Handsworth, received two Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, first at the age of 14 and again at 19.
The IPP sentence, a form of indeterminate imprisonment introduced in 2005 for those deemed dangerous but whose crimes did not warrant a life sentence, was abolished in December 2012. Since then, the number of prisoners serving IPP sentences has declined from 3,018 in December 2023 to 891 projected in December 2025. However, Davis was sentenced shortly before the law changed and remains incarcerated under the now-defunct regime.
His family describe him as a prisoner trapped by an indeterminate sentence despite completing all required behaviour programmes and gaining trust that has allowed for resettlement days outside prison. Davis is unsure when he will be released.
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Speaking from prison, Davis said: “I’ve served my time. I’m not a danger to the public.” Commenting on a recent government early release scheme, he added: “This is another batch of people that have jumped past us and once again we are left here with no regard. I hope and pray one day our inhumane sentence is ended and we get a chance at a life again.”
During his imprisonment, Davis has pursued music as a way to channel his experiences and emotions. His fiancée described his continued detention as “heart-breaking and inhumane,” adding, “Everyone who’s been sentenced in this way should be resentenced. He’s done more than his time and needs to be free. Begin his life, get married and start a family like normal people.”
Davis was first jailed at age 14 for a street robbery involving a phone and trainers, a sentence later reduced on appeal from seven to four years, of which he served two. His second offence involved a firearms incident in Balsall Heath in August 2010, where he was part of a group that threatened two men. When one man refused to cooperate, he fired a gun twice, injuring the man in the leg. Davis was arrested shortly after and in October 2011 was sentenced to a minimum of nine years for possessing a firearm with intent, wounding with intent and robbery. The trial judge described him as a “danger to the public,” noting the victim had narrowly avoided serious injury.
The Justice Secretary, Alex Norris, announced on 1 September plans to introduce legislation within the current Parliament aimed at ending the lasting effects of IPP sentences. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) stated that those sentenced under the IPP regime remain lawfully detained until the Parole Board recommends their release. Over the last year, 488 recalled IPP prisoners have been safely released, with more than a thousand released following recall in the past two years. Since June 2023, such offenders can apply for licence termination after two years in the community, with subsequent reviews where appropriate.
The MoJ declined to comment on Davis’s individual case but reiterated that IPP sentences were abolished over a decade ago and that the government will work to bring forward reforms with safeguards to protect both victims and the public. The timing of any future releases will depend on the outcome of these reforms and the safeguards implemented.